A Very Different SM story
by Yuri-chan
Summary: this is a WAY different SM story from any i've read, as you'll notice by reading the first paragraph. If you're a purist and dont like the type of fics where the character roles change, dont read this. please, no flames.


  
  
As I am going to submit this fanfic in installments, I will put the standard disclaimer at the beginning of this one, so it will be in the story; just not in each part.  
A couple of notes on this fanfic: there are some strange relationships here, family-wise, not like in the show. Here they are:  
Serena and Haruka: sister and brother (yes, Haruka is a man in this one), daughter and son of the King and Queen.  
Darien: Haruka's trainer, works in the palace  
Raye and Michiru: sisters, live in the palace, both singers for the royal family, and daughters of nobles. Raye and Serena were best friends since childhood  
Andrew: Darien's roommate, lives outside the palace and works as a merchant in the marketplace  
I think that's about it.... Ages are as follows:  
Serena: 16  
Raye: 16  
Haruka: 18  
Michiru: 18  
Darien: 19  
Andrew: 20  
King and Queen: late 30's  
  
So, enjoy the story. Any questions or comments, email me at bunnymoon99@hotmail.com okay? Here goes.....  
  
  
The Moon Kingdom, Silver Millennium  
  
Sunlight streamed into Princess Serena's bedroom. She opened her eyes and sat up. The sun was shining brightly; it was going to be a beautiful day. She smiled, and reached for the call bell. Moments later, her servants came in to help her dress. Following them came her nurse, smiling at her. She had tended to Serena and her brother Haruka since they were little children. Serena smiled back. The servants helped her into a gauzy light pink dress trimmed with pearls. Her ever-present gold tiara crowned her head.   
"Oh, Princess, you are more beautiful every day. Just like your mother, you are," her Nurse said to her as the servants brushed and pulled her hair up into the traditional buns she always wore. Serena smiled.  
"Thank you, Nurse," she said. " I only hope that one day I will be as great of a ruler as her as well."  
"I'm sure you will, dear," Nurse smiled again. A bell could be heard ringing distantly in the hall.   
"Oh, dear," Nurse looked towards the door. "Well, I'll be off now, to go see what your brother wants."  
"Okay, Nurse, and thank you!" Serena called to her as she hurried out the door.  
"Princess," one of the servants addressed her.  
"Yes?" Serena replied. The rest of the servants, now finished with her hair, were leaving.  
"Your lessons are to be as follows today: at eleven, you will be studying choices for the kingdom, at one you will be studying your family history, and lunch is at noon as always." He said, clasping her crystal necklace around her neck.  
"Thank you," she said, then added, "What time is it now, please?"  
"Nine-thirty, my lady." He bowed, then left the room. Serena sighed, then decided to go down to breakfast. She left her room, making sure to close the door behind her, and stepped into the hall. The carpet was deep red under her slippered feet, and the marble walls were accented with gold. Gold chandeliers hung from the ceiling. She took her time walking down the hall, trying to recall a dream she had had. A man was in it, she was sure of that, and she had been in grave danger in it. And a strange voice that she had not recognized. An unknown force had been trying to get her. She shuddered, remembering it.  
"Serena!" a voice called out to her as she made her way to the royal dining hall. She turned around. She turned to find her brother Haruka racing to catch up with her.  
"Always was the slow one, eh?" Serena teased him. He scowled at her.  
"What time are your lessons today?" he asked.  
"Eleven and one. Why?" she asked.  
"Same times as mine," he replied. "Just wondering if you'd heard of my new swordfighting trainer, his name's Darien Chiba?"  
"Can't say that I have," she answered with a smirk. "Since when do I keep tabs on those gross trainers of yours?"  
Haruka brushed his hair out of his eyes. "Just wondering, little sister. I had never heard of him before, I thought maybe you had, as you're the one who likes to spy on the people in the palace," he grinned devilishly.  
Serena's eyes opened wide, but she recovered from her surprise with," You must do the same thing if you've seen me do it."  
A sheepish look crossed his face. "Well, maybe once.... Anyway, the only reason I do it is because this place is so dull most of the time."  
"Yes, I agree. That's why I do it. When was the last time mother and father had a ball?"  
"I don't know. Months ago. Although, I hear they are planning one for the end of this month."  
"Great!" Serena said. "They've been so distant lately, ne?"  
"Yeah," Haruka agreed. They entered the royal dining hall, the one reserved for the King, Queen, Prince, and Princess, and whoever their honored guests happened to be. Serena and Haruka took seats across from each other, as usual. The servants came in with pastries for them.  
"So, who do you think will be performing at the ball?" Haruka asked.  
"Raye and her sister, I imagine. Perhaps a strings band, I do love those," Serena replied, buttering a croissant. Just then a servant hurried into the room.  
"Prince!" he cried.  
"What is it?" Haruka asked lazily.  
"Your one o'clock lesson has been moved to ten!" the servant said urgently.  
"That's fine, what time is it now?" Haruka reached for another cake.  
"Nine forty five, sir!"  
"Shit!" Haruka jumped up from the table, the cake forgotten. The servant stood with a look of horror on his face. Haruka ran out of the room, calling to the servant, " Sorry about my language!"  
Serena sat at her seat, fighting the urge to laugh. "He really is sorry," she said to the servant.  
"Er, yes...." The flustered servant exited the room. Serena sat alone at the table, wondering what to do until eleven. Visiting Raye seemed to be most appealing. She grabbed an extra roll and left the room, starting off in the direction of the noble dining hall, certain Raye would be there. She munched on the roll as neared the hall. Suddenly she heard yelling coming from the dining hall in front of her. She stopped chewing, and listened.  
"No, I have to tell her!" the voice of Raye was heard.  
"Why would you want to do something that pointless to scares her?" Raye's sister, Michiru yelled. Serena had never heard Michiru yell before.  
Something must be very wrong, she thought.  
"I'm not doing it to scare her! It could be serious! I think she should know!" Raye yelled back at Michiru.  
"You do it and..." Michiru's voice got very quiet all of a sudden, and Serena couldn't hear what was being said. She chose that moment to enter.  
"Good morning," she greeted them brightly. Michiru looked up sharply at this. Raye looked extremely grateful. They were the only ones in the room. From the looks of it, they hadn't touched their food much.  
"Hello, Princess," Michiru said coolly.  
"Yes, hi, Serena," Raye said, standing up. "What brings you here?"  
"Oh, I thought maybe you'd like to go for a walk with me, if you have time," Serena said, looking only at Raye. She knew that Michiru was glaring at her sister.  
"Of course," Raye said, leaving the table. They started to the door.  
"Oh, Raye," They heard Michiru behind them, "Remember what I told you."  
Raye sighed as they exited.  
"What was that all about?" Serena asked as soon as they left. Raye was quiet for a second, as if looking for a reason not to tell her. Her excuse came as a servant came running towards them.  
"Raye-sama! Your mother has asked for me to fetch you. She would like a word with you."  
"Alright," Raye replied, then turned to Serena. "I've gotta go now. Maybe we can talk this afternoon."  
"Yeah," Serena answered glumly. Her lesson was still half an hour away, and she had nothing to do. She watched Raye walk down the hall. Turning to go, she wondered what to do. No one interesting was in the castle today, so spying was out, unless she spied on Haruka, which would be incredibly boring. She sighed, and walked in the opposite direction to go to her lesson early. She reached the room and knocked on the door. Master Ao opened it and looked at her, surprised.  
"Why, Princess, I hadn't expected you so soon. I must be behind schedule," he said, adjusting his glasses.  
"No, I'm ahead of schedule. I had nothing to do, so I thought that if you weren't busy that we could start early?" She looked at him pleadingly.  
"Of course we could. I was just having a cup of tea. Come in," He gestured to the table they always had their lessons at. "Care for some tea?"  
"Oh, no, thanks," she replied, smiling. Master Ao was a very kind teacher, she was glad she had him instead of some of the teachers the noble children had. He settled into his chair across from her.  
"Now, today's lesson is rather short, it's on your great-great-grandmother's ruling policy..." he began. Serena listened intently, taking notes as he spoke. Although family history was always quite boring, she didn't mind it so much with Master Ao, he was a kindly old man who acted interested in everything he taught her. She always tried not to doodle on the paper in his lessons.   
"...And that's all there is for today," he finished up half an hour later. "You will want to study that, as I plan on giving you a test next week. It's not so hard, though. Any questions?"  
"No, I think I've got it all. Thank you, Master Ao. See you later," Serena walked towards the door.  
"Bye, Princess," He called after her as she shut the door behind her.  
Well, that took up practically no time at all, she thought. Maybe I'll go and see if Haruka's done with his swordfighting lesson yet...  
Deciding that this was a good idea, she started down the hall to the training yard Haruka had his lessons in. Located outside of the castle, it was the perfect place to train in, especially on warm spring days like this one. Tall walls stood all around it, probably as a precaution to anyone who walked by when an archery lesson was taking place. Plants blossomed on the tops of the walls.   
As she neared it, she could hear Haruka's and another man's voices.  
"Like this?" she heard Haruka ask. There was a pause, and then the other man was heard: "No, a little lower."  
She walked up to the wall and peered around the corner, so as not to be seen. She looked in and found Haruka with his back to her, slicing away at the air. Watching him a few feet away, facing Haruka, was a tall man with black hair and beautiful blue eyes. He wasn't anywhere near the age Serena expected him to be, this man looked about twenty or so, not much older than Haruka. He held a shield in his left hand, studying Haruka's moves. Serena stared at him for a second, then realized what she was doing and ducked back around the corner.  
What is wrong with me? She scolded herself. But she couldn't help but think how attractive the man had been. What had Haruka called him? She decided that she had to get another look. She peered back around the corner as Haruka twirled with her sword, slashing at an imaginary villain, and caught sight of her. He finished the attack, then turned back to the place Serena was spying from. It was too late, she was caught.  
"Why, hello, little sister. What brings you here?" Haruka called mockingly to her, one hand on his hip. He had that cocky grin she loathed, because he only had it when he caught her doing something. She entered the training yard, her heart beating fast.  
"I just thought I'd see how you were doing, if you were done yet," she looked at Haruka. " My lessons ended early, you see-"  
"Sure, Serena, whatever you say," he grinned at her, then turned to his instructor. "This is my sister, or extraordinary spy, whichever you prefer, Princess Serena. Serena, this is my new trainer, Darien Chiba."  
Only then did Serena dare to look at him. She found herself blushing, and he was as well. He offered his hand to her.  
"Pleased to meet you, Princess," he stared at her eyes. Hers were locked on his blue ones.  
"An honor, Chiba-sama," she heard herself say to him. They stood there for a minute, hand in hand, locked into each other's gaze. Serena snapped out of it first.   
"Well, I should go now, and let you two get back to your lesson," she said to Chiba-sama.  
"Oh-you could...could stay if you want to. We're almost through, now..." he said, stumbling over his words. Haruka watched incredulously.  
"If you're sure it's not a problem, I'd love to," Serena said.  
"No problem at all," he answered quietly. He let his eyes linger on her a moment longer, and then turned back to Haruka. "Shall we proceed?"  
"Yes," Haruka replied, readying his sword. They went back to the attack they had been learning. Darien made sure not to look at Serena, for he feared he would lose all concentration if he did.  
Serena watched them, leaning in a corner of the yard. Or, rather, she watched Chiba-sama. He was so professional as he showed Haruka the correct way to fight. She guessed he must be a great soldier from his liquid movements. She found herself wondering if he was married.  
No! Stop it! She shook her head to clear the thoughts. Trying hard as she could to refrain from thoughts like that, she watched the rest of their lesson.  
"Well, Prince Haruka, you have done well today. I'll let you go now. See you at your next lesson." He shook hands with Haruka, then walked over to Serena. She held her breath. He took her hand and kissed it gently. "It was very nice to meet you, Princess," he smiled at her. "Perhaps I shall see you again soon."  
"I hope you will," Serena replied, shocked at what she had said. His blue eyes twinkled at her.  
"I'll make sure of it, then," he said, and left the yard. Serena found herself staring after him.  
"A-hem," Haruka appeared beside her. "Shall we go to lunch now? That is, if it's not a problem...."  
Serena snapped back to reality and hit her brother lightly on the shoulder. "Shut up."  
He only laughed as they left, saying, "What's the matter, Serena? Cat got your tongue? You're never this quiet. Maybe it's because you're thinking about someone?"  
"I am not!" Serena said, turning a deep shade of scarlet. She picked up her pace, so Haruka wouldn't see.   
"Why are you going so fast, huh? You'd think you were hurrying to see Chiba-sama!" Haruka laughed even harder. By that time they were practically running down the hall. Serena reached the dining hall and sat down at her seat without a word. Haruka came in immediately after, wearing the smirk again. The servants took no notice of their behavior, and served them their lunch.  
They were quiet for a second, then Haruka turned serious and spoke.  
"Seriously, though, if you like him... that could mean serious trouble for you. You know we're not allowed to see people."  
"I never said I liked him! And I know that!" Serena cried, looking at her potatoes. Suddenly, she didn't feel very hungry.  
"I know you didn't, I just-" Haruka looked at her. "Listen, Serena, I think that something's wrong in the palace. Since you're the heir, I think I should tell you of my suspicions."  
"What's that?" Serena looked up sharply.  
"Well, mother and father have been keeping to themselves more than usual lately, and every time I come by, they stop talking like they're hiding something. And mother always has this worried look on her face now..."  
"Well, that doesn't mean much," Serena said calmly, glad that Chiba-sama had been forgotten.  
"Serena, you must listen to me. I had a strange dream that you were in danger last night. I have this feeling that something big is about to happen. Please take what I say seriously. I wouldn't say it if I weren't worried," he finished.  
Serena looked at him, surprised, recalling her dream. Thinking better than to say it, she responded with a calm, "Alright."  
They finished the meal in silence, an unusual thing for them to do, yet neither of them noticed. Haruka thought about the strange things that had been going on, and tried to predict what would happen, if anything. Serena thought about Chiba-sama and her dream. The man in it-could it have been him? She thought about this until Haruka announced that it was nearly one o'clock.  
"I had better get going then," Serena said, and left without saying more. She didn't want to hear Haruka tell her any more. Chiba-sama was on her mind the whole way to her next lesson. All through the lesson, Master Neo asked if she was okay, and kept telling her to pay attention. Finally, he gave up and ended the lesson. Serena wandered through the palace, once again finding herself with nothing to do. She wondered where Chiba-sama was now. Her mind in a haze, she decided to go to her favorite place, the courtyards. She passed through the gates of her favorite one, and saw a figure at the other end of it. Quietly, she made her way past the rose bushes and trees to the fountain, where the figure was looking down into the water. Tall, dark hair-her heart leapt at the possibility that it might be Chiba-sama. She made her way to the fountain, and stopped about ten feet behind him. He sensed someone nearby, and turned around. When he saw that it was Serena, his face broke into a smile.  
"Princess," he said. "Nice to see you again."  
"If you wish me to leave, I'll go," Serena offered, hoping that he would decline.  
"Oh, no, you're no problem at all. If you wish me to leave, then I'll gladly-"  
She cut him off, "Oh, no, please stay."  
He looked at her, then nodded. They stared into the water for a minute, then Serena noticed he was staring at her reflection.  
"Princess," he said, looking up at her. "I must admit... I was hoping that I'd see you again today."  
She looked up from the water. "Why is that?"  
"I was... thinking about you," he looked down again.  
"I was thinking of you, too," she said quietly. He looked back up at her.  
"You were?"  
"Yes, I have thought of you since this morning, I'm afraid. Forgive me..." she looked down then.  
"Princess..." she looked back up at him. "I feel... drawn to you somehow. Please don't think less of me. I know that you are the heir to the kingdom and I am just a lowly trainer, but I feel I must tell you my feelings."  
"It doesn't matter to me what your status is, Chiba-sama. I am drawn to you as well," she looked into his eyes once more, and felt a longing in her heart to be with him all the time.  
"Oh, Princess..." his voice trailed off. "Do you have to be anywhere soon?"  
"No, I have all the time I want," she said.  
"Please, sit down," he took off his jacket and set it on the grass. She sat down, and he sat next to her. "I want to get to know you."  
She looked at him with a mix of surprise and joy. Could he be interested in her as more than just a Princess, someone he should treat with respect?   
"What do you want to know, Chiba-sama?"  
"Tell me what you like to do, things you want to do," he gazed intently at her and leaned back on his elbows.  
"Well, I like to walk through these courtyards, and have fun. I love the outdoors, especially spring and summer. It's so beautiful then," she looked down at him. He smiled.  
"I agree with you."  
"And what I want to do... let's see. I would like to go places, Earth perhaps one day. And I've always dreamed of getting married," she blushed as she said the last part, thinking how improper he must think her.  
"Getting married... are you a romantic as well? I have thought about that as well, my roommate calls me a romantic for it," he said, chuckling. "And if you want to go to Earth, I think that it could someday be arranged, perhaps. You see, I am from Earth."  
She stared at him. "Really? Tell me about it!"  
"Well, there are some wonderful things there, but I think your kingdom is better. There are all sorts of people there, much different from this place. They are all different colors, they have many different cultures, and not all of them are good, like you are here."  
"Not all good?" she asked, frowning. "How so?"  
"There are... people that steal things, and people who hurt others," he looked at her with a serious expression, "There are even those who like to kill others."  
"It cannot be so! That's terrible! I have been so naïve..." she looked down at her hands. He reached over and placed a hand over hers.  
"You have not been naïve, Princess," he gazed at her. "If I had lived here my whole life, I would not think that people would do such things either."  
He interlaced their fingers as he spoke. Again, they paused to just look at one another.   
"Princess," he lowered his voice. "Do you have a boyfriend or betrothed?"  
"No," she answered, wondering what he was leading to.  
"Good," he said and squeezed her hand. "Because I like you."  
She stared, wide-eyed at him. It was too good to be true! Her mind raced with amazement and happiness. She smiled.  
"I like you, too," she said softly.  
"How old are you?" he asked. She winced. Please don't let this ruin it, she thought.  
"Sixteen. How old are you?" she asked hastily.  
"Nineteen," he smiled. "I'm not too mush older than you."  
"Thank goodness," she said, and clapped her hand over her mouth in disbelief that she said such a thing. He laughed.  
"No, don't be embarrassed. I was thinking the same thing." He touched her face. They leaned in closer, looking at each other. Their lips were two inches away from each other when-  
"Well, hey there!" Haruka's voice cut through the silence. Serena and Chiba-sama looked up quickly. They rose to their feet.  
"Ah, hi, Haruka," Serena said sheepishly. She brushed pretend hairs behind her ears, trying to act as if nothing was going on.  
"Hello, Serena," Haruka smirked for the third time that day. Serena frowned.  
"Hello, Prince. Gomen nasai, please, I'll go now," Chiba-sama looked intimidated by Haruka. Haruka realized this and laughed.  
"No, no, Chiba-sama. It's quite alright, stay here. Just thought I'd break it up before things got too hot!" Haruka laughed at his statement.  
"Haruka! How long have you been here?" Serena demanded.  
"Honestly, I had only walked in when I saw you two over there. That's the truth," he said seriously. The slightest hint of a smirk still lingered on his face.  
"If I find out otherwise-" Serena started, but Haruka cut her off.  
"You'll what, Serena?" he asked. She suddenly remembered their lunch conversation.   
"Ah---.... I don't know," she looked down, defeated. "Please don't tell anyone about this, Haruka."  
"Don't worry, I won't," Haruka looked at the two. "I'm expecting you two to leave soon."  
"Yes," said Serena, crushed.  
"Oh, and Chiba-sama?" Haruka asked.  
"Yes?" Chiba-sama replied, fearing the worst.  
"Would you like to join my sister and I for dinner this evening?"  
Chiba-sama's face brightened. "Of course."  
Serena smiled at Haruka as he left. When he was gone, her and Chiba-sama looked at each other, surprised.  
"I guess he's not all that bad after all," Serena said in amazement.  
"Not that bad at all," Chiba-sama agreed.  
  
  



End file.
